Clothespin



April 26, 1932. J. CRAWFORD 1,855,225

CLOTHESPIN Filed o t; 15, 1950 INVENTOR WITNESS d5 8,, Hrgvy Crawfrd,

ATTORN EY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES GLOTHESPIN Application filed October 15, 1930. Serial No. 488,913.

This invention relates to clothes pins and more particularly to those made of metal or wire.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a clothes pin which is simple in construction and cheap to manufacture and will yet securely fasten and hold clothes on a line, each pin having a plurality of gripping or clamping arms for attaching the clothes to the line without danger of being torn by the weight thereof or by the wind.

Another object is to so construct such a pin that it will combine maximum efliciency with ease of application.

In carrying out these objects, the invention is susceptible of a Wide range of modification without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the claimed invention; there being shown in the drawings for illustrative purposes a preferred and practical form, in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of one of the pins embodying this invention shown applied; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the pin detached.

The pin 1 constituting this invention is composed of a piece of spring metal or wire treated to render it immune to erosion from the elements and which is capable of being so bent or shaped as to form a longitudinal body having a plurality of laterally extending clamping arms or fingers to effectively clamp an article or piece of clothes to the line. Wire stock of about forty-one-thousanths of an inch in diameter produces a good all-purpose pin.

The pin 1 is composed of a sectional body with the sections 8 and 9 thereof substantially in longitudinal alinement and connected by a laterally extending U-shaped loop 2 while at the ends are arms 3 and 4. The arm 3 has an inturned terminal 3a while arm 4 comprises a V-shaped portion 5 extending in the same direction as the loop 2, but at a different angle and has on the other side of the section 9 a curved portion 6 which constit'utes a hand hold for the pin when manipulating it. This loop 6 has an inturned end 50 7 to prevent its puncturing the clothing and to facilitate its application. The arm '3 and the loop-shaped arm 1 extend from the body portion of the pin transversely at an oblique angle, said'arms being arranged at an angle of thirty degrees relative to the loop 2. The body section 8 is bent slightly out of aline ment with the section 9 so that when the pin is applied it will have a spring clamping action as will be presently described.

In the use of this pin as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the article of clothing C to be fastened on the line L is placed on the line in the ordinary manner, the pin is grasped by the hand hold 6 and the arm 3 is passed down over the clothing on one side of the line L while the Ushaped loop is passed over the other side thereof and then the V-shaped portion 5 of loop 4: is passed over the same side of the line which is engaged by the arm 3. Thus the alternating clamping effect is produced which will effectively hold the clothing on the line and secure it at three points to avoid all possibility of tearing, owing to the weight of heavy garments, or to the tearing incident to flapping of the clothing by the wind. When the pin is in operative position as shown in Fig. 1 the hand grip 6 projects above the clothes line in convenient position to facilitate its grip for the withdrawal of the pin when necessary; all that is required being to grasp the loop 6 and forcibly disengage the clamping arms from the line.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the in vention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

I claim:

1. A clothes pin comprising an elongated spring metal strip constituting the body of the pin, said body havingan open loop extended laterally therefrom intermediate its ends and having laterally extending clamping arms at the ends thereof, a portion of the body beyond said loop extending laterally at an angle to the remainder of the body ATE? @FFICE g to insure clamping engagement of the arms with a line when in use, said arms being de signed to be arranged on one side of the line and the loop on the other, the portions of the body upon opposite sides of the open loop being in a substantially straight line and of substantial length.

2. A clothes pin comprising an elongated spring metal strip of Wire forming the body of the pin, said body having a laterally extending substantially 'U-shaped loop intermediate its ends and provided at its ends With laterally extending clamping arms, the arms extending in one direction and the loop in the opposite direction to insure clamping of the pin on a line When in use, the arm of one end of said pin being in the form of a loop, with a portion extended on one side and another portion on the-opposite side, one of said portions forming a line clamp and the other a .finger grip.

JOSEPH H. CRAWFORD. 

